Hanukkah Decorations And Crafts

Just because Hanukkah doesn’t involve a giant evergreen tree in the center of the living room doesn’t mean you can’t have beautiful decorations in the house. It is the festival of lights, after all. This year, infuse your home with some festive spirit with our Hanukkah decorations and craft ideas. The centerpiece, of course, is the menorah: We’ve rounded up one for every style. Better yet, make your own with our creative, DIY menorah projects, many of which use supplies you’ll find around the house. Don’t worry: you won’t have to choose just one—you can deck out each room with its own special menorah. We’ve also rounded up seven fun Hanukkah party finds (from holiday “crackers,” perfect for setting around the table to Hanukkah dog treats). And you can repurpose all that extra gelt for a fun (edible) craft, too, with our gelt cookies. These ideas will keep you busy for all eight nights.

For an updated take on the classic latke recipe, we opted to bake the potato pancakes rather than fry them in oil. The move makes for thin, delightfully crispy pancakes that are perfectly browned but not too greasy. And while you might not be eager to try a new recipe during Hanukkah, consider this: You can whip up two dozen latkes, all at once, with this method. No messy oil splatters, no frying two or three pancakes at a time. Instead, you’ll have the traditional latkes ready for a crowd in under half an hour, and every single one will be crispy and fresh.

Don’t be foiled by the thin, rock hard chocolate coins you know as “gelt.” Melt-in-your-mouth versions do, in fact, exist. Some of them even use single-origin, fair trade chocolate. We’ve rounded up the tastiest loot to help you shine during Hanukkah.